1/12/25 – 2/5/26 from Carlsbad, NM to the State Capitol in Santa Fe, NM on Climate Action Day – 320 miles, 12,425 ft./elevation, 25 days
This Sacred & Moral Pilgrimage is an offering of bodies & feet of 3 Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) Leaders who will walk 7-9 miles a day to witness communities who suffer from effects of fossil fuel extraction through polluted air and water. The pilgrims will be fueled by the prayers and voices of many New Mexicans calling for a livable & sustainable climate for all New Mexicans now & in the future. You can follow their progress at https://www.nm-ipl.org .
This trek echoes that of the father of George Munoz, Chair of the NM Senate Finance Committee, who walked to the Capitol in 1989. As mayor of Gallup, he was furious that his concerns about addiction in his beloved community were not being addressed. Now George Munoz, his son, has not taken seriously the concerns of New Mexican communities who need healthier air, land & waters. Walking this path is a call to address needs of New Mexicans living with extraction caused air & water pollution health problems, as well as water shortages.
The IPL pilgrims, honoring centuries of spiritual earth stewardship by NM Native & Hispanic ancestors, walk now to uplift the urgent need for a livable climate and a flourishing future all New Mexicans. As they walk, they will be wrapped in prayers of many, confessing through faith, complicity in greed, waste, exploitation & extraction of their Creator’s Earth. They walk, hoping we, the public & lawmakers, will acknowledge & understand the interdependent nature of our lives within all Creation. They pray that this will guide us in repairing & healing Earth’s wounds to support resiliency of all life of Earth’s creatures, plants, waters, land, & air .
Goals of this pilgrimage are to:
- to secure a stable climate and livable future for all,
- act boldly for a just transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy,
- hold industry accountable for pollution & waste, &
- protect communities already facing climate impacts.
This pilgrimage is both confessional & prophetic; a call to act with courage, integrity & love for our shared home. It is a journey of hope, learning & work as a community, & witnessing a more just & sustainable future taking root.
The focus of this call to action for legislators is to join with climate coalition advocates in supporting the 2026 Clear Horizons Act to codify NM’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets into law; establish a Community Benefit Fund for climate investments; & create an Innovation in Government Act for climate solutions.
NM/El Paso Interfaith Power & Light invites all New Mexicans & legislators to follow their pilgrimage in the Event Section of their website for details and registration for events. All are invited to join in the dinner at the start of their pilgrimage at United Methodist Church in Carlsbad and later with different stages of their journey’s end to the point of arrival at the NM State Capitol on Climate Change Day, where there will be tabling and speeches in the Rotunda of the NM Roundhouse.